One Store One Outfit: Uniqlo

August 22, 2012 By Dappered Team| Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Here's why.

Editor’s Note: This one was written by Brett R., Dappered’s newest correspondent. You think I (Joe) can be thorough? Brett gets into detail. Don’t miss his footnotes which open in new windows. Brett’s Vitals: 5’10” 175lbs.

To a lot of you, Uniqlo is like the Bigfoot of male fashion. You’ve heard of it. You’ve seen pictures of it. But you haven’t been able to see it, touch it, try it on or smell it. It’s not your fault. They just opened a store in San Francisco, but until now, only those living in New York have witnessed the beast first hand. You can’t even buy clothes from their website! (I did hit 88 miles an hour on the way to work this morning, but I’m pretty sure I’m still in 2012). They’re not the only company without an e-commerce site and I’m sure there is a good reason for it. HOWEVER; rumor has it, like Zara, they are unleashing an e-commerce site on the American public this fall. And, there are ways around this current dial-up era hiccup. More on that later.

Known for affordable basics, Uniqlo feels similar to H&M and Zara at first glance. Most people’s first impression of these stores is formed around the heavy use of Polyester and Rayon in their clothing. Uniqlo isn’t completely innocent on this front, however if you pay attention and do some research, you can find some great, slim clothes made from quality fabrics. If you dig just a bit deeper, you can own these great pieces for a steal.

The Sun speaks to me (#1). It can be difficult to find an unlined linen blazer on the cheap. This blazer is cheap. It’s on sale right now for $39.90. (I’ll explain how I know this in a bit). Regularly $79.90 and only the sleeves are lined. 100% linen shell and minimum shoulder padding. It’s possibly the lightest blazer I’ve ever draped over my shoulders. Like, feel the breeze blowing through it, forget you’re wearing it light. One of the drawbacks of being so light is that it wrinkles easier than other linen jackets. This can add character, but you may need to steam it occasionally to keep it from getting out of control. The button stance is a tad high but not as high as their Tasmanian Wool Suits. Passable if you work in a business casual office and great for a night out in the Summer. Nothing but compliments from everyone. Trust me.

IS IT WORTH THE COST? Absolutely! Check the measurements listed on their UK site for very detailed measurements of their S, M, L, XL, etc… sizing. If you know your measurements, you can trust the listed measurements to point you in the right direction. Those over 6’2” may find it a bit short.

Think of Uniqlo Easy Care shirts as button down, 100% cotton versions of Target’s Merona Ultimate Dress shirt (#2). It has wrinkle reducing qualities while still maintaining the 100% cotton feel. They aren’t the slimmest shirts in the world so they may need some tailoring. Try the purple. It’s an underrated color that works well in all seasons.

IS IT WORTH THE COST?Depends.I lean towards Yes. I should have sized down on this one and didn’t and will the next time I buy one. Make sure you look at the UK site for measurements. If you are a close match to the measurements listed then they’re absolutely worth it. If you have to get it tailored, then there are other shirts in this price range that may be slimmer. In that case, I’d lean towards No.

They’re made of 56% Cotton and 44% Polyester (check the UK website for composition). This will be a big drawback for some. HOWEVER, they’re called DRY Flat Front Pants and supposedly have “Moisture Wicking” properties. They do keep you much cooler than a pair of toasty wool dress pants. Another drawback with most Uniqlo pants: Most of them only come in size 34 length. If you live in New York, they offer in-house hemming. Everybody else is on the hook for another $10-$15 per pair to have them hemmed. For me, it was worth the $39.90 risk (Hemming included). I was pleasantly surprised. The Houndstooth itself is very small. Small enough that even Alabama fans (#3) won’t notice. It also gives the pants a nice texture. They fit slim with a slightly tapered leg.

ARE THEY WORTH THE COST? For me, or anyone in a warm climate that needs somewhat dressy pants? Yes. Even with the added $10 for tailoring, $39.90 for some lightweight pants that you can wear to the office is a good deal.

Uniqlo doesn’t make shoes. I mean, they do, but they really don’t. We all know about Allen Edmonds quality and the Players shoe is a sleek wingtip that works well in a variety of scenarios. These were marked down, drastically, during the Anniversary sale. Try Nordstrom Rack if you’ve got one near you. What’s difficult about Allen Edmonds Walnut colored shoes is finding a belt to match them. There aren’t many out there in the first place, let alone many that can be considered affordable……

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not an Allen Edmonds belt. It doesn’t have the highest quality buckle and the leather isn’t amazing, but I’ve had it for 3 months and it’s held up well with regular wear (2 or 3 days a week). It works well with a suit or with khakis. Jeans may be a slight stretch, but it may be up to the challenge.

IS IT WORTH IT: $19.90 for a belt that matches Walnut shoes almost perfectly is a dream come true. A resounding YES for this one if you don’t want to spend $50 or more on a belt..

The Bottom Line and How to Order:

Overall, I’ve been impressed by the quality you get for the price when it comes to Uniqlo, and the brand has more often than not met if not exceeded my expectations. Just so I don’t sound like a shill, I bought a Slim Fit Shirt from Uniqlo that I would say No on. The material was very thin and it wrinkled pretty easily. I would say Noto this Blazer as well. It was boxy and the material was sub par.

WAIT. WITH STORES ONLY IN NEW YORK AND NO E-COMMERCE SITE, YOU LIVE IN THE SOUTH SO HOW…..

Very perceptive! The e-commerce site is coming out in the Fall according to rumors, but in the meantime:

Suddenlee hits the store for you.

HOW TO FIND OUT WHAT’S ON SALE: Two options here. The best one is to email Uniqlo USA Customer Service and ask them what’s on sale this week. They usually respond within 24 hours. If they respond with a list of items and no prices, just reply back asking for the prices and they’ll oblige. You can also email customer service at a company called Suddenlee…….

HOW TO ORDER SOMETHING FROM UNIQLO AND HAVE IT DELIVERED: Suddenlee is your friend here. They have a browser plug-in that allows you to build an order sheet. Just make sure to include the sale prices instead of the normal prices. You’ll pay for your order via Paypal and one of their shoppers will get to work for you.

If they can’t find something in your size or color, they will let you know and provide you with the alternatives that are available. If you decide to remove or add anything from the order, they’ll adjust it accordingly. You can find a list of their markups on their website and they base it on the total order amount. It takes about 2 business days once they’ve shipped it to get to my front door in the South. Delivery times may vary, but they have a great map on the bottom of the pricing screen that shows you what to expect based on where you live. Overall, I’ve been happy with their service.

Thoughts on Uniqlo? Have you used Suddenlee or another proxy shopping service? Leave it all in the comments…

About Brett R.: Realizing that looking 7 yrs younger than his actual age isn’t an advantage, Brett changed his style so he’d be be taken more seriously. His Threads user name is bere09. He does not do cardio in a blazer… often.

I was lucky enough to get to visit Uniqlo while in New York with friends during Thanksgiving last year and got to take advantage of their great sales. I’m still wearing both of the shirts I bought there and love them.

living in NYC as i do Ive shopped there a lot .. granted mostly for socks (they have a ton of colors and they’re $9 for 4 pairs) but I also have a pair of jeans and a sweater (which I ruined like 2 days after purchasing) everything fit great and was pretty cheap which also important. I did NOT know about the in house hemming though and am pretty stoked about that!

wow, thanks for the info on Suddenlee. I’ve made it to the Uniqlo store in Manhattan a few times over the last couple years, and have loved it for some of the staples, which just seem to fit me better than any other stores, but not living in NYC, I haven’t been able to go as regularly as I’d like. I’ll definitely check it out. Great first review, too!

Lived in Japan for years, so familiar with Uniqlo being everywhere. Unfortunately, having somewhat long legs (34″) meant I couldn’t buy their pants, at least in Japan where inseams on casual pants tends to be 32″. I think people there see Uniqlo as boring but cheap and good for essentials. I’d like to see MUJI open more stores in the U.S. as their clothes always seemed a step up from Uniqlo. Anyways, I think Uniqlo will be opening a lot of stores in the U.S. sooner than later: http://www.fastcompany.com/1839302/cheap-chic-and-made-all-how-uniqlo-plans-take-over-casual-fashion

I’ve found their jackets and blazers to have a great off the rack fit (6’1, 195, and I’ve gone with a large). I have a dark navy cotton blazer that is probably the single best fitting off the rack item that I own. Huge fan.

Thanks for the writeup. I’ve heard of the store, but was curious how they get the hype they’ve received. That said, the methods described *just to see what they have on sale and buy it* is more effort than I care to invest for clothing just a bit better than H&M.
When they open the shop in Chicago I’ll give them a look see.

One of the best stores in NYC. Especially their new flagship in Herald Square. (now that this one exists, avoid the SoHo store as it’s completely inferior). GREAT jeans, love their underwear and undershirts too. The dress shirts, though, fit very square (not slim) and feel too cheap for me. This is one of those stores where you can load up on basics for very little $, but you should absolutely try everything on. Sometimes it fits, sometimes it seems like it’s meant to fit a cardboard box rather than a human.

Gotta love the types who come along just for pointing out “flaws.” Sounds like someone’s been spending too much time on certain “critique my fit” forums? I honestly didn’t notice when I uploaded Brett’s pics. Maybe he lost a crap ton of weight. You’d never notice (oh thank goodness) though if he has the jacket on.

Defensive = expecting more out of the comments section on this site? Then yes. Write a comment like you’d speak to the person in person. There’s some leeway of course. Anonymous hole-pokers on the web should be pointed out for their brings nothing to the discussion BS more often. It’s a major contributing factor to the fact that comments sections are mostly a wasteland and a need-to-have-these-for-pageviews necessity for most websites in this “everything is free on the internet” environment.

There’s no reason the guy couldn’t have said: “Do the belts run large? It looks big on you. Like… really big” Instead of just pointing and saying, in essence: “hey look… you muz be dumb.” Everyone else gets it here, and it’s one of the major reasons why this site is a success. Get with it or get lost. Sure, somedays my patience runs out. And obviously this is one of them. Big fat sloppy wet kisses to you and yours “singingtheblues45” … Sermon over. Amen.

First off, using the word “author” is being FAR too generous. The article ran too long so we decided to shorten it up with the footnotes. The articles will be more concise moving forward. Second, and to prove the first point, I’m not familiar with this Mr. Wallace you speak of. Oh well!

No no, this is a valid statement. One of the drawbacks on the belts is they only come in S, M or L as I understand it. Not as precise as most other belts you would buy. I have lost some weight as well, but it’s one of the things you have to put up with.

Nice write up, I really like the “is is worth the money” because sometimes, even when it is a small amount of money it still may not be worth it. Went in a Uniqulo store a few years back in NYC, still amazed it has taken them this long to expand in the US and online. I guess there is something to be said for measured growth…

Which is a really good thing to know. Not sure drawing this info out was the point of the comment above though. An obvious hyper-reaction on my part, but it does get old after awhile, and I can get defensive (yes, singingtheblues45) about our contributors who all work hard. Many thanks for the heads up on the belt sizing.

Wow… wrote that this morning, checked the responses late this evening. I thought I was pointing out the obvious. Nothing nefarious about it. One of the things I’ve learned about since joining the dappered community, is that style resides in the details, no matter how subtle. A watch, a pocket square, a tie bar, some broguing or burnishing here or there, or the cut of a shirt. I’m a bit taken back by your response Joe.. you’ve usually been one to keep your cool. Clearly this isn’t one of those times.

Yep. You’re right on it being one of those times where I didn’t keep my cool. Totally agree with you there. There’s a lot of snotty comments that come through. Yours wasn’t one, but taking a look at your Disqus profile and I can see you’re someone who has left a comment here and there on other sites, so you know how absurd it can get.

I was seeing shadows and there’s been a few jerks this week. But some people just LOVE to poke holes and it’s a pet peeve. It wears on you after awhile. I don’t think you’ll lose sleep over this Jack. Nor will I. Pretty sure that’s the best course from here on out. Many thanks for your readership.

Oh, and when it comes to style residing in the details? I half agree with you there. I truly believe that style resides in the details, but is based in the theory that thinking too hard and noticing too much can be counter productive. Like my comment… totally overreacted. Gotta go out and have fun.

I think Uniqlo is trying to brand itself differently in the United States. Here in South Korea, and from what I understand in Japan as well, it’s pretty much a mall store. Good place for basics, and cheap blazers that aren’t made of polyester, but that’s about it.

The funny thing with Uniqlo is that you can just as easily walk out wearing what’s pictured above as you can with super skinny jeans, a bright pink T-shirt, and a gold puffer jacket.

As for the complaints about the shirts not being slim enough, they’ve adapted an “American” fit to their clothes in the US. Everything is a bit bigger and boxier. I’m talking a direct comparison between their flagship store in SoHo and one of their larger stores in the Myeongdong district of Seoul. Same exact shirt, but two wildly different fits.

Unfortunately, the slimness of practically everything is overhyped on the the internet. Seriously, jump over to SF or AAAF and look at a slim shirts thread. You’ll find them discussing shirts that are not very slim fit at all. If they don’t provide neck/chest/waist/stomach/arm measurements don’t buy it because it’s probably not going to work.

Uniqlo has a lot of turnover. They’re pretty good at adapting to markets, which probably explains their slow rollout in the US. They are trying to gauge which demographic (height, weight, age, etc.) is buying their product so they can change it accordingly. They may figure out that people seeking a much slimmer fit are the ones going there.

So, don’t scratch it off your list yet, but don’t go out of your way to seek one out either. When I move back to the United States after I finish graduate school, I’ll likely be in New York. Hopefully, Uniqlo has slimmed their cuts back down, because nearly my entire wardrobe is from there haha.